Parents Ordered To Pay £620 For Term Time Holiday

Published 10th Sep 2015

The parents of a girl from Harpurhey have been ordered to pay £620 fines and court costs following a hearing at Manchester Magistrates Court.

Madison Wakefield featured on the documentary People Like Us and her parents Karen Wakefield and Paul Dawson claim she was bullied at Manchester Communications Academy after appearing on the programme.

They say they took her on holiday to help her get over the bullying.

Manchester Communications Academy issued the following statement:

With regard to attendance the academy follows the statutory guidelines from the Department of Education and is unable to give permission for holidays during term time. There is no evidence to substantiate any claims regarding bullying from staff or students at the academy. These allegations were originally made when the BBC 3 programme “People Like Us” was aired in Autumn 2012 and were thoroughly investigated. At the time both parents were satisfied with the outcomes of the investigation.